1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to application configuration management, and more specifically to simplifying setup of management servers controlling access to voluminous configuration data required for applications.
2. Related Art
Applications are often deployed to serve a large user base (e.g., of the order of several hundreds or thousands, typically) and are generally required to provide high service levels (in terms of availability, etc.). The applications typically execute on application servers and are accessible from client systems or other applications, as is well known in the relevant arts.
Configuration data is often used for applications. The configuration data may include various parameters used during run-time (e.g., the maximum number of connections that can possibly be opened to a database application executing in another server, the minimum or maximum number of threads permitted to be run at any time instance, etc.) or even prior to the operation of an application (e.g., some parameters may specify which specific modules to load or not, the maximum memory space that can be used for processing a transaction, network ports to monitor for corresponding types of requests, etc.).
The configuration data is often voluminous, for example, due to the number of different applications deployed, or due to the complexity of one or more of such applications.
Management servers are often used to simplify access to such voluminous configuration data, typically by providing a pre-defined interface using which applications can access the desired parameters of the configuration data. The management servers may also be capable of communicating (to the applications) changes in the configuration data. Thus, the management servers control access to the configuration data, while simplifying the deployment and management of the applications.
However, management servers generally need to be setup before the above noted features are available to applications. Setting up a management server entails specifying to the management server the corresponding parameters of the configuration data that is of interest to each application, the format (e.g., data type such as integer/string) in which each parameter (or value) is to be made available to applications, etc.
It is often desirable that the setup of management servers be simplified, particularly when the configuration data is voluminous.
In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.